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Welcome to CombatCounselor Chronicle, an E-zine dedicated to giving you the most current, pertinent information on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based CBT available.

Chris Sorrentino, a.k.a CombatCounselor, is a leader and expert in cognitive behavioral therapy. He combines 30 years of experience in psychology with the discipline from having served as a U.S. Air Force officer for 20 years, 4 of those in combat zones, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2005.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

According to Money Magazine (October 2012, p. 85), 68% of those polled (Republicans AND Democrats) think the United States should cut defense (military) spending. Military Times has reported on numerous occasions that the Department of Defense (DoD), Congress, and President Obama all want to cut personnel and retiree benefits, that is a fact. What are these geniuses thinking? What is 68% of the population, supposedly, thinking? You got me friends!

We have been at war with Al Qaeda, and others, for 13 years and our military, if not dead already, are worn out, exhausted, and not really appreciated, even though "thank you for your service" has become the "catch" phrase since 9/11. Our heroes in uniform, past, present, and future, put their families, health, and lives on the line every day ... for your freedom folks.

So now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, we are out of Iraq (for the time being, in mass anyway), and things are winding down in Afghanistan, we have nothing to worry about ... right? Military retention rates are at all time highs thanks to patriotism and a weak economy, so why not cut their (active duty, Guard, Reserves, and retiree) pay and benefits or, better yet, drum them out of the service altogether so we can save a few bucks? Forget those promises we (the government, recruiters) made about job security, lifetime healthcare, pensions, and other "retention" tools ... the threat is gone, over, history, so why not cut defense spending (that is shorthand for personnel and benefits? Do you really think the military (DoD) is going to give up any planes, tanks, ships, or helicopters?

I don't know about you, but I have a couple problems with that kind of thinking:

First, we, as a nation, made promises to our men and women in uniform and cannot change course now. That is immoral! Can you say integrity? Apparently not. Politicians and others can "talk the talk", but when it comes to keeping promises made to recruits, they DO NOT "walk the walk"! KEEP the promises you made (integrity) to those serving and those who have served. If you want to make changes, make them effective BEFORE future enlistees enlist, not after we obligated to and/or faithfully served our country.

Second, the president, Congress, and DoD ARE NOT focusing on fighting a few terrorists here and there, they are focusing on two very real, very large, very lethal threats ... CHINA (and their redheaded stepchild North Korea), IRAN, and Russia (again) thanks to their nutjob president, Vladimir Putin.

China is a military and nuclear superpower with BILLIONS of potential troops and Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat (beside having one of the most potent militaries in the Middle East), and is threatening one of the most unstable and economically critical regions in the world today ... ON A DAILY BASIS! Can you say OIL? How about nuclear holocaust? Israel? Are you people out if your freakin' minds?

So why not cut porkbarrel spending, pet projects, a bloated government full of useless programs and lazy workers (that is a generalization, there are many worthwhile programs and civil servants), or even cushy pensions for serving in Congress for a couple of years? Or why does the government not target the BILLION$ that goes down the drain every year due to FRAUD, WASTE? Because they do not care, memories are very short, and if there is not an immediate threat, citizens are selfish and want all the money to come to their way. That is human nature and means the politicians need to keep those voters happy so they can be reelected and receive those cushy pensions ... right?

In conclusion, our shortsighted predecessors cut defense spending after World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Gulf War I, but guess what? That's right, we got caught with our pants down when the next conflict came along. Do you have any idea how much we waste as a nation drawing down and building up our military as a reaction to world events , or worse, elections? BILLIONS ... JUST LIKE THOSE BILLIONS OF CHINESE just a stones throw from the United States of America ... can you say Alaska (Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house after all)? What about Hawaii? There is a place in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor ... have you heard of it?

China recently launched their first aircraft carrier and their defense budget has been increasing by at least 12% annually for decades. Who do you think they are preparing for? Al Qaeda? North Korea? No, they are preparing to take on the largest superpower in the world ... U.S. ... and we are going to be caught with our pants down once again. Why? For a few more votes ... for a few more self-centered, shortsighted, ignorant morons ... that's right, we call them POLITICIANS (lawyers mostly and we all know what Shakespeare said about lawyers).

DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE! I am not going to tell you WHOM to vote for, but vote with your conscience, and, ABOVE ALL, vote for a strong military and hold your elected officials accountable for protecting the FREEDOM we in the military have worked so hard TO EARN and DEFEND. Vote for president in 2016 or you might just be voting for a Chinese Premier in 2020.

That's the end of that tune ... CombatCounselor...OUT!

Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)

aka CombatCounselor

This article can be published in its entirety with the permission of C.T. Sorrentino, aka CombatCounselor, 3rd Wave Media Group, and 3rd Wave Publications

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Are you as sick and tired of self-centered people as I am?Learn why they act that way...read my explanation below and WATCH THE NEW CombatCounselor Q&AEpisode 7: ValuesSundays at 11AM (CST) ... or thereabouts..ON THE COMBATCOUNSELOR CHANNELIn this episode of CombatCounselor Q&A, Chris discusses "values" or the lack thereof in society, American and around the world, today. Individuals, institutions, and nation states are in disarray, and Chris believes it is because of a lack of or alienation from CORE VALUES. They either never had any values to begin with or have lost their way somehow.Chris goes on to describe how to define values as well as how you can define your own values and goals. Without values and goals, people and institutions tend to act based on emotion, and that is not a smart way to act in a world where we depend on one another to survive.Body-Mind-Behavior Therapy helps people and groups learn to focus on the present moment, StayPresent; develop resilience skills in order to be able to act more effectively when challenged by crisis, BeResilient; and how to define and commit to acting in accordance with those values...it does not get much simpler than that!

People who lack clear values have only one way to ACT when confronted with a crisis or novel situation...EMOTIONALLY...SELFISHLY because that is the way we, humans, are programmed. Think about it, life, since the beginning of time, has been about self-preservation, survival, so can we blame them?Yes and no. We cannot blame them because, MOST OF THE TIME, it is a reaction, not a well thought out act or action. On The other hand, we can blame them for either not defining or not understanding their values and how their behavior impacts others. Believe it it not, it is a choice in many more ways than one. Here is the link to this video: http://t.co/q87KaPvhStayTheCourseC.T. Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)aka CombatCounselor

Monday, September 17, 2012

Your September 10th, 2012 issue of Air Force Times had several letters posted condemning the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for applying a double standard to retired officers publicly supporting political candidates while well-known flag officers (Colin Powell and Wes Clark among them) blatantly do the same exact thing on a much grander scale. I agree with many of the writers and am not surprised by the double standard imposed by the chief because flag officers are routinely held to a different, far more lenient standard than their lower ranking subordinates. Now that is leadership...leadership by example...isn't it?I am also appalled by another piece describing AMC's "contract" with a Carolina pro hockey team. AMC and the writer apparently believe it is OK to throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at one sports team while ignoring dozens of others in several different sports. Why did AMC, whose headquarters is in Illinois, think they needed to support a team, under the guise of "public relations", in another state, spending unreported sums on "an 18-person luxury box" among other things?Besides showing favoritism in contracting (was the contract open to bids from all other teams or was it SOLE SOURCE?), WASTE clearly and quickly comes to mind when DoD and the Air Force are cutting people and benefits rather than tightening the belt on such extravagant items as LUXURY SUITES!Finally, on a similar note, the photo of General Edward Rice throwing out the first pitch at an August 18th Yankees game (September 17th, 2012 issue) also seems inappropriate on more than one level. I understand that the Air Force has to reach out to the public in terms of positive public relations, but why the Yankees when Rice's closest MLB franchise would be the Houston Astros or Texas Rangers, NOT THE YANKEES! Rice is commander of AETC which, last time I checked, is located on Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, TEXAS. The Yankees were not even playing a Texas team for crying out loud...they were playing the Boston Red Sox!Two questions: 1) Why was Rice in New York and what genius thought it would be a good idea to show support for a team whose closest Air Force base is in New Jersey?; and 2) Why is Rice out of uniform, wearing a NY Yankees hat with his "blues"? If Rice saw another airman in uniform at the game wearing a Yankees hat (or any team for that matter), that airman would surely get a good old fashioned butt-chewing AT THE VERY LEAST.So why the double standards? Why the waste when good, hard working, patriotic airmen are being drummed out in thousands while major commands and generals live the high life? I have not even mentioned Leon Panetta's $800K+ bill for government plane rides home every weekend, but that is a different story...or is it?Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)CombatCounselorCopyright 2012 - C.T. Sorrentino and CombatCounselor - All Rights ReservedYou can read this letter in The CombatCounselor Chroniclehttp://www.CombatCounselor.blogspot.com

Saturday, September 15, 2012

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: AIR FORCE TIMES -"FEWER MOVES, LONGER TOURS...PLEASE!"

It's about time somebody used some common sense! In your article, "FEWER MOVES, LONGER TOURS" - August 20,2012 - a much more common sense approach to deficits and budget woes is FINALLY discussed.Why cut personnel and benefits when there is such a simple solution? There are many thousands of airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines forced to move each year, thousands that would happily stay in place another year or four.

Why not Minot you say? Minot and other perceived "less desirable" assignments are LOVED by many, so why not let folks stay where they are rather than uprooting a family clear across the country or globe? Some simple mathematics and computer programming could select from a pool of volunteers, leaving everybody else where they are for the time being.Ruin a career you say? Maybe it's time to change ignorant, archaic thinking (or even better...the thinkers) and NOT penalize those who want to remain on-station, saving taxpayers thousands in moving expenses, dislocation allowances, and travel costs...thousands for each person!

By the way, those are the same "thinkers" contributing to the negative stigma of military mental health, a stigma taking lives...one military member a day lost to suicide...but that's another story.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Kaja Perina, EditorPsychology Today Magazine115 E. 23rd St., 9th FloorNew York, NY 10010Dear Ms. Perina,I have read your magazine for years and wish many more people would read it,
eliminating many of the myths, fallacies, and stigmas surrounding mental health
treatment. Thank YOU.I would like to point out a couple things in regard to your Sep/Oct 2012
issue. On page 14, you used the term "extraversion". While not
completely incorrect, the more widely used and accepted version is "extrOversion". Maybe I am missing something, so please let me know
if that was intentional for some reason. I would also like to address Dr.
Markman's blog post (Ulterior Motives) where he predicts clinician/s will
"tailor learning strategies and behavior change techniques TO
INDIVIDUALS" in the future. I am afraid Dr. Markman is a little behind the
power curve (and times) if he is not already applying those tools in therapy.
We have been providing individualized, tailored learning strategies and
behavior change techniques for years, so I am not sure what the good doctors
point may have been. Finally, please publish a piece on the negative stigma attributed to mental
health treatment in the military. 19 heroes die every day to suicide because if
it. Maybe we can save a few lives by addressing the stigma now rather than later.Thank YOU for your time and consideration.Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)a.k.a CombatCounselor

Monday, September 3, 2012

Let's face it, moving to a new assignment every two to four years not only
takes a toll on the defense budget and, ultimately, the national deficit, it
affects individuals and families stressed by leaving home and friends, and jobs
as well as many emotional scars. Moving is stressful! I know, having moved
eight times in a 20-year career, relatively few compared to many of my
comrades-in-arms.

It's about time somebody used some common sense! In the Air Force Times
article, "FEWER MOVES, LONGER TOURS" - August 20,2012 - a much more
common sense approach to deficits and budget woes was FINALLY discussed.

Why cut personnel and benefits when there is such a simple solution? There
are many thousands of airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines forced to move
each year, thousands that would happily stay in place another year...or four.

Why not Minot you say? Minot and other perceived "less desirable"
assignments are LOVED by many, so why not let folks stay where they are rather
than uprooting a family clear across the country or globe? Some simple
mathematics and computer programming could select from a pool of volunteers,
leaving everybody else where they are for the time being.

Ruin a career you say? Maybe it's time to change ignorant, archaic thinking
(or even better...the thinkers) and NOT penalize those who want to remain
on-station, saving taxpayers thousands in moving expenses, dislocation
allowances, and travel costs...thousands for each person!

By the way, those are the same "thinkers" contributing to the
negative stigma of military mental health, a stigma taking lives...one military
member a day lost to suicide...but that's another story.

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Chris Sorrentino is a leader, expert in cognitive behavioral therapy, and creator of Body-Mind-Behavior Therapy. He combines 35 years of experience in psychology with the discipline from having served as a US Air Force officer for over 20 years.

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On the front lines in the battle against anxiety and depression.

Chris Sorrentino, LPC, NCC - a.k.a. CombatCounselor

Besides hosting his popular YouTube series, CombatCounselor Q&A (CombatCounselor Channel), Chris was recently interviewed by Diane Cho of KMBC News (Kansas City) for a piece on Gaming Addiction and was recently asked to provide behavioral commentary for Fox News on a missing toddler who has drawn national media attention. He also appeared on national television (NBC) on six separate occassions for a total of nearly three hours. He has appeared on Truth or Consequences, You Don't Say and was a contestant on Hollywood Squares, winning $62,000 over a four day period.

You Think, You Are...Anxious: A Journey from Avoidance to Acceptance

by Chris T. Sorrentino, LPC, NCC

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